I am one of the many who bought my kids an Xbox One for Christmas (got it on the Deal of the Day from Best Buy). It came with some games that you can download and install (Tomb Raider games, and one other I cannot think of). Didn't get to play ANY game that day, as each and every game required update after update, including the Minecraft game I bought for my son (physical copy). And yes, even the darn controllers needed to be updated (????).

I am with Dave (VGC) on this one. I have long agreed with his trife about how the online requirements and gaming are ridiculous, and the newest gen of gaming has really gone too far. But, if you are wanting to play the newest generation games out there, the choice is so limited (and my kids simply do not understand).

I have yet to pick up the Xbox One controller. I just revert back to my old school games and systems, and while they don't have the eye-popping visuals and sounds, they do have a couple things... immediate gratification, and NO online requirements!

I had a little time before going to breakfast, so I figure I'd check out sleeping dogs on ps3 (I got the ultimate action pack with Sleeping dogs, Tomb raider, and Just cause 2 for Christmas.)

First, the game has to update, like a lot of ps3 games do. The update was less than ten minutes, but still annoying. After the updates, the game was forced to quit because there was not enough space on my ps3. Don't you you just love newer games and how they constantly need to update and require lots of memory? Seems like more work than fun.

I know the critic talks about this a lot, but with good reason. Updates and online requirements are such an unnecessary and unwanted feature, and really hurt the experience.

Charlie,Thanks for chiming in. I think you hit the nail when you said it hurts the gaming experience. How many other sites discuss issues with packaging, installation, updates, etc? They act as if they are irrelevant, but they are most certainly not.

The game industry is just doing what so many other industries have done over the last decade or two, which is make the customer to do their work for them. Think about it... ATMs... self-checkout lines... printing your own airline tickets. But what's truly insulting is how they have the nerve to CHARGE YOU EXTRA for the privilege! Ever pay a "convenience fee"? What a sham!

In the case of gaming, these companies release the game before it was done (to maximize their profit) and you are paying the price. The put the onus on YOU to fix their game using your internet, disc space, and worst of all, your time.

How the gaming "media" has given game companies a pass over the years is the real scandal. And I'm sure the gaming industry hates me with a passion because I'm the only one calling them on it.

Count me (or rather my brother) in with those who opened an Xbox One on Christmas morning yet were unable to actually play it until well into the evening. My brother bought one for his kids with Skylander, unaware of all the initial setup time requirements. After them excitedly opening it Christmas morning and wanting to play a quick game before heading out to our family gathering, my brother was stunned - and his kids almost in tears - with all the initial setup required before he even popped in a game. I don't have one myself, but he was complaining about the personal information it was asking him and forcing him to set up an online account before anything else. Finally done with that, he had to start with a bunch of updates/patches. When he finally popped a disk in, of course THAT download/patch had to start. By then they were out of time, and as of 4:00 that afternoon I know they still hadn't gotten to play anything.

For me, I gave one of my kids two Xbox One games. Already a veteran of this fiasco, he smartly started the download/installation before we left the house at 11:30 that morning (it was the new Call of Duty, which I guess contained a reboot of all the old CoD 2 multiplayer maps). It was 9:30 that night before he was finally able to play.

I guess it ties into the fact that if these sites like IGN are paid to do these reviews, maybe they just brush off the installs and updates as the new normal and just move on. You'd expect to read a review on one of these sites and they would likely barely mention the updates and install times. Something like, "after a lengthy install process...," and then they just continue on with the review.

Hopefully, Microsoft, etc. will start to take notice of how retro games are getting popular again. What do most retro games have in common? they all boot up fairly quickly. Maybe they will take notice and fix the "waiting" times.

I use my PS3 primarily for Youtube and Netflix. My favorite thing in the world is when PSN is down or drops out every 5 seconds, thus closing out my youtube or netflix. Why do I need to be on PSN to watch either of those? What does it even matter? Ill be right in the middle of something and PSN disconnects for some reason and forces me to close everything out. Cant stand that, and have contemplated throwing my PS3 out the window numerous times because of it.

Another favorite is when I have 30 minutes to myself and want to pop in say GTAV and just destroy things for a bit. By inserting the disc it forces a PS Software update, then a GTAV update, then a lengthy install for both and now I have just enough time to turn off my system and tv and go back to whatever I was doing. OR when I want to watch netflix or youtube and it forces the same updates to those as well.

So glad I never got into the 8th Gen. Bought a One but returned it within a couple days as I just couldn't take it. Most of my consoles from the 2600 to the 360 get lots of play time. Haven't turned on my 360 in about a week with a new g/f. But that console will get some serious attention tonight. Just trying to decide what to play. I think Deadliest Warrior.